Cincinnati Public Schools and TriHealth collaborate to give students
real-world work experience and mentorship in the healthcare field
bi3 is awarding more than $1 million to TriHealth to fund an innovative new School-to-Work Apprenticeship program in partnership with Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS). The goal is to inspire diverse high school students to pursue healthcare careers by giving them real-world exposure, work experience and access to mentorship over two years within TriHealth.
“This is a game-changer, moving far ahead of what is typically seen in apprenticeship programs,” said Jill Miller, President of Bethesda Inc. “This unique School-to-Work program allows high school juniors to have the opportunity to be employed by TriHealth for two years, providing exposure to a variety of healthcare careers, build job skills and benefit from mentorship.”
School-to-Work a Proven Model of Success
The TriHealth/CPS School-to-Work program is modeled on the success of a Rochester, New York program with proven outcomes. Since its inception nine years ago, 100% of the students who completed the Rochester Youth Apprentice program graduated from high school and gained college acceptance. Of those, between 85%-95% of the students pursued careers in healthcare. In addition, 75%-80% of students finished a two-year or four-year college degree and 60% remained in the healthcare field.
Apprenticeship
programs like TriHealth/CPS School-to-Work allow students the opportunity to
learn and earn. Long-term, the School-to-Work program also supports
TriHealth’s goal to increase minority leaders, physicians, and suppliers to
better meet the needs of the diverse Cincinnati community.
bi3’s three-year grant will enable 50 juniors and seniors from CPS to participate for two years, with 8-10-week rotations in different clinical and non-clinical fields. Participating fields include nursing, radiology, physical therapy lab, transport, NICU, volunteer services, and College of Nursing and Nutrition.
“TriHealth has the opportunity to inspire positive change and improve lives beyond traditional healthcare settings,” said Mark Clement, president and CEO of TriHealth. “Students will be TriHealth employees, earning paychecks and receiving appropriate job-based training. Our hope is that following completion the two year “School to Work Program”, students will not only earn a diploma, but a Career Readiness Seal acknowledged by the State of Ohio attesting the students completed youth employment competency training. Moreover, we hope to inspire many of these students to pursue careers in health care—nursing, medicine, and allied health professions—and ultimately join the broader workforce in Greater Cincinnati as conscientious and productive employees”
Students
will attend classes and work at Tri-Health, typically working four days a week
between three to five hours a day.
Career Coaches to Guide Students
CPS career coaches will support students through the program – the first job experience for many students. Students will also match with a TriHealth job coach in the department they are assigned for each rotation. By the completion of the program, each student will have cultivated relationships with hundreds of health care providers.
“This is an exciting career opportunity for our students because they can get acquainted with a variety of jobs available in healthcare,” said Brittney Cousins, career manager at CPS. “School-to-Work makes a long-term commitment to these students, providing the support and mentorship they need while giving them real-life skills.”
All students will go through a financial literacy course taught by a GE Credit Union partner. Students will have the opportunity to learn about other healthcare providers, such as Cleveland and Mayo Clinics, during an annual Healthcare Exploration field trip.
